There has been a lot of controversy with the Organization of Jehovah's Witnesses over the date 1975. What is it's significance? That is the date the Faithful and Discreet Slave had designated for this "wicked old system of things" would end. End of 6,000 years from when Adam was created.
I was five years old in 1975 and I was told I would never have a chance to go to school because the "end" was coming. I would never grow up to get married or have to worry over whether to attend college or not. I did not need to worry about having any long term goals what-so-ever. At the time I did not know if this was a good thing or not being only five. There was no discussing it, for it was a fact. The organization had said it so it must be true.
It was a very frightening time for a little one and no doubt grown ups too. Every time we had a big storm (which on the east coast was a lot of lightening storms) we would jump in the car and go to grandma's the whole time knowing it was the Great Tribulation and we wanted the whole family together. I did not know it at the time but there were some (I have since found out) who even thought they would have to eat their babies in accordance with Duet. 28: 52,53. How horrifying for a young mother (mine was a mother of three and one on the way and in her early 20's) to think this! No wonder that experts say the Jehovah's Witnesses are riddled with anxiety and depression. (if you have not looked into this before, you should). And, as you may or may not know the Society did not recommend going to seek help. Especially from a "worldly person".
This teaching and others have changed the lives of all the members of the Watchtower Society in one way or another. Many gave up their careers and retirement to spend their "last days" proclaiming the good news to others. This would have been great if the good news had been good and if it really was true. Many sold their property and used the money to spend time pioneering and missioning others to do the same. Their sad stories are available on books and blogs if interested (very enlightening). This sounded like a very good thing to them at the time but where are they now? This has had devastating consequences for so many.
After 1975 came and went the disillusioned witnesses, many did not know where to turn. They waited and waited for the Society of Jehovah's Witnesses to say something. What went wrong?! What do we do now?! Where were the answers and the responses? Raymond Franz former member of the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses has shed some light on this for us in his book Crisis of Conscience. As the story goes there was a lot of discussion amongst governing body members on how to proceed. Some apparently wanted to apologize and others wanted to keep quiet and hope it would all go away. It seems to me from my research that there was never a big apology for false hopes or any system to help the folks who gave up everything based on these false hopes. If I am wrong and I have missed something please share where I can find this information. Instead what I found after going back to meetings (after ten years of inactivity) was when asked about 1975 that it was just a few over-zealous witnesses in a few different congregations that were spreading rumors of there own interpretations out of turn and it should be ignored and overlooked. After it was dismissed I never thought to research it on my Watchtower CD. That is until more questions and issues started popping up. Then I took out my Watchtower CD and decided to look up a few things for myself. I typed in the date 1975 and could not believe it. They did say in the Watchtower as well as the Awake and KM that 1975 was a significant date to watch for and that it was the end of the 6,000 years we had all been waiting for. The KM gave special praise for those who would give up everything to pioneer and never planning for a future.
I am looking for others who have gone or are going through the same experience. Does anyone have memories of living through 1975? Many many people left the organization after the end did not come. But, what about the folks who decided to stay? My father is now deceased and my mother will not speak to me since leaving the JWs so i have no one to ask about their decision of staying in when the end clearly did not come. Why would someone continue to listen to a group of men even after they did not apologize for their mistake and leading everyone down the wrong path. I am just very curious. It must have been a very hard and confusing time! They did not have the Internet then to do any checking of the governing body. Most JWs probably did not even know who the leaders were or where they came from. Except by reading their own bio. written by them. That is why the people who left were made to look and sound like "apostates" so they could not communicate with the current members for good or for bad.
Please write me with your stories. I would love to hear them and looking for anyone who was going to the Kingdom Hall in New England area around 1975 and are sympathetic to the ones who left and either became Bible Students or went in any other direction. Many family members and friends have been lost.
Sincerely, jimmi
